Chapter 13

He should leave Gaige alone tonight. Give him one of those pain pills the doctor prescribed and let him drift off. But looking at him now, standing there in black pants and a black Henley sweater, looking like a tall, hot package he wanted to unwrap, Alec knew that wasn’t going to happen.

He’d be careful, hold back on everything he wanted to do with Gaige. Limit the pleasure and keep things emotionally disengaged. But they were happening tonight. And soon.

Gaige shook his head as he put his water bottle back in the refrigerator. “That guy is a pain in the ass.”

No argument there. Alec had been saying the same thing about everyone in the CIA for years. Working with the agency from time to time suited him. It opened doors for Drummond that had closed under his father’s lack of company leadership, back when greed got in the way of good business decisions. Now being on call for the CIA was more nuisance than help.

Getting into bed with the CIA meant one day someone would come knocking and bring a wave of trouble right behind them. Alec needed Gaige to know that and be careful to put limits on how “helpful” he’d be.

“Ready to tell me what he has on you?” Alec knew he wouldn’t get an answer but tried anyway.

The refrigerator door shut but Gaige didn’t turn around. “No.”

“Want to tell me what piece of information you have that I don’t?”

Gaige rubbed the back of his neck as he faced Alec again. “Not yet.”

But he would. Alec sensed it and could wait. “Fair enough.”

Whatever Seth had used to rope Gaige into this assignment might not be enough. Gaige had already turned over the phone. Nothing about him said he’d blindly follow orders, maybe in the short term but not for long. The only real question was how much danger Seth would dump Gaige into first.

“You’re accepting that answer?” Gaige laughed. “I’m a little surprised.”

Only because he had other activities in mind for tonight. “I think you’re going to realize it’s better to trust me than Seth, but I’ll let you get there.”

Gaige didn’t move from his side of the counter. “I guess I’ll take that as a compliment.”

That sounded positive. For now, Alec let that be enough.

He stalked around the end of the counter and headed for Gaige. “But, in the meantime, we need to find something else to fill our time.”

Some of the tension left Gaige’s face and a very different expression lingered in its place. “Will we be naked for this something else you want to do?”

“Oh, definitely.” Alec stopped in front of Gaige and gave in to the need to touch him. Let his hand trail over the front of Gaige’s sweater, down and down until his fingertips rested on the top edge of Gaige’s belt.

This close, Alec could see Gaige visibly swallow. Watch as his mouth dropped open just a fraction as he let out a small sigh.

“My bed or yours?” Gaige asked in a rough voice.

Now they were back on track.

“Mine is bigger.” Alec’s fingers went to work opening Gaige’s belt. The buckle jangled as he slipped the leather out of the belt loops.

“If you say so.”

A boiling mix of need and excitement welled up inside Alec. He strained to get closer. Shifted until his fingers touched the top of Gaige’s zipper and started lowering it one tempting tick at a time. “Shut up and take your clothes off.”

Gaige slipped his hand over Alec’s. “You first.”

A challenge. Alec liked it. Control was his thing, but an active partner, someone so totally into it, was the ultimate turn-on.

He didn’t step back because he didn’t want to move even one inch away. Slipping his hand from under Gaige’s, Alec unknotted his tie. Took his time and let his arm brush against Gaige’s chest as material slid against material.

“That’s a good start,” Gaige said.

Without breaking eye contact, Alec dropped the tie to the floor and started on the top buttons of his shirt. Undid one, then a second. Drew it out, waiting to see if Gaige would take the bait.

“You’re taking too long. Let me.” Gaige lowered his head and slipped his mouth inside the opening of Alec’s shirt. Kissed his way down Alec’s throat.

The gesture, so simple and sexy, had Alec’s heartbeat hammering hard enough to echo in his ears. He could hear the blood whoosh as a thumping started in his head.

I want him. The refrain repeated in his mind. It grew louder, faster, overwhelming whatever doubts still hid inside him.

Gaige appealed to him on a basic level, so raw and frantic, that Alec couldn’t touch him enough. His smell, the feel of the muscles under his sweater, the hitch of his breath as he licked Alec’s neck.

Alec didn’t fight the need thumping inside him. He dove headfirst into it, digging his fingernails into the cotton sweater covering Gaige’s shoulders. Alec pulled Gaige in closer until their bodies met from chest to thigh. Still it wasn’t enough. The heat built. His skin flushed and his nerves pulsed to life.

“Your turn.” Gaige’s fingers slipped down Alec’s shirt. He tugged it out of his pants, then undid each button until the ends hung open against his chest. With one push, he swept the material off Alec’s shoulders, sending it falling to the floor.

Gaige’s gaze dipped. Bounced down to Alec’s pants then back up again. “Much better.”

“Not quite.” Alec couldn’t strip fast enough. He had the slim white tee he wore under his dress shirt off in less than a second. His fingers went to work on his belt and zipper next.

Through it all, Gaige just watched. They stood almost on top of each other. He pressed a line of kisses along Alec’s jaw. Used his tongue and nipped with his teeth.

The gentle bites had Alec’s head spinning until he thought it would explode. The heat surging through him made it difficult to think and nearly impossible to breathe. No matter how much he inhaled and gasped, he couldn’t draw in enough air.

“We need the bed.” Gaige didn’t wait for an answer. He slipped his fingers through Alec’s and guided him over to the end of the big bed.

Before Alec could say anything Gaige sat on the edge of the mattress. He locked his hands against the back of Alec’s thighs and glanced up. Squeezing just a bit, Gaige tugged Alec closer. Leaned in until his mouth skimmed over the front of Alec’s pants.

Right there, through layers of clothing, Alec felt the heat of Gaige’s mouth. The flick of his tongue. He used his lips to outline Alec’s growing bulge, caressing him through the dress pants.

“Jesus, Gaige.” Alec’s head fell back as the need washed through him.

He expected wild. Ripping off clothes, tearing and fumbling to press skin against skin. He got a slow seduction, coaxing out every groan. The clasp of Gaige’s mouth, the strokes against his legs—Alec didn’t know he needed any of it until the force of it swamped him.

When Alec’s knees buckled, Gaige dragged him down to the mattress. Gaige fell back with Alec on top of him, sliding over him. The friction was hypnotic, reeling Alec in.

He reached for Gaige’s fingers again and pressed the backs of his hands against the bed. Holding him down, feeling the press of Gaige’s erection against his leg. Alec dreamed about this last night but the live-action version turned out to be so much better. Here, he could see Gaige’s bright blue eyes cloud with need. Feel the brush of Gaige’s breath against his chin.

Alec caught Gaige’s bottom lip between his. Nipped at it. “You have too many clothes on.”

“Peel them off.”

They kissed then and Alec wondered why he had tried to skip this part. Of all Gaige’s talents, this was one of the most impressive. His mouth proved fierce and demanding. His kisses didn’t leave a single doubt about where he wanted to be and what he wanted.

Still, with his past, Alec had to ask. He forced his body to still and the muscles in his neck to heed. He finally lifted his head and stared down at the man he wanted until he couldn’t think. “Yes, right?”

Gaige blinked. “What?”

“I need you to say it.”

Gaige put his palms on Alec’s cheeks. “Alec, fuck me.”

The words shot through Alec. Shattered his control into tiny pieces. He practically tore at Gaige’s clothes, and he wasn’t alone. Two sets of hands pulled, stretching Gaige’s sweater and lifting it over his head. They fell back on the mattress again.

Alec couldn’t get close enough, kiss enough. His hands traveled all over Gaige’s chest, learning every firm inch. Then his fingers dipped into Gaige’s hair and held his head still for another stunning kiss, one that only hinted at the heat to come.

Gaige raised his knees, making room between his legs. Alec didn’t hesitate. He slid into the space as the kiss raged on.

One of Gaige’s thighs dropped to the side. His hands slid down and Alec’s pants started to drop. Lying there, curled together without a word, Gaige managed to strip Alec down to his shoes.

“Fuck, yes.” Alec lifted his head just long enough to get the words out as he kicked off his shoes.

His mouth trailed over Gaige’s skin to the base of his neck. Then to his chest. He spent long minutes licking his way to Gaige’s nipples, sucking Gaige’s skin between his teeth. He wanted to make a mark. To claim him in the most fundamental way.

“Alec, please.” Gaige lifted his hips as he shoved at his pants. “Get these off.”

Impatience echoed in Gaige’s voice and the jerky movements of his hands. He nearly ripped his underwear as he stripped them down. It was awkward and wild and one of the sexiest things Alec had ever seen. He understood the pounding need because it hammered him, too.

With the clothing gone, Alec reached for the table next to the bed. His fingers couldn’t reach and he had to slide and climb over Gaige to get there. But when he felt Gaige’s mouth against his stomach and Gaige’s hand slipping over his ass, Alec stilled. He wanted to savor this moment.

“Yes.” Alec thought the word was trapped inside him until he heard the whisper slip into the silence of the room.

Gaige scooted down, just a few inches, but enough to slide his tongue around Alec’s tip. Then he took Alec’s cock in his mouth. Slid his closed palm up as his mouth pulled him inside.

Alec’s hips moved. He pressed forward, helping Gaige, guiding his mouth. The caress of Gaige’s lips sent a moan racing up Alec’s throat. He bit it back, but just barely. His body wanted this. Every cell and every muscle.

Shaking his head, he tried to force his mind back to the present. To think about how good it would feel when Gaige’s body surrounded him and pulled him in deep.

Reality flashed in his head. He needed that fucking condom.

Making one last lunge, Alec grabbed for the drawer and yanked it out of the stand. He had the lube and a condom trapped in his closed fist when his body skimmed over Gaige’s again.

“Now it’s your turn.” Alec had said that before but this time they’d end with more than a hand job.

Alec kissed his way down Gaige’s chest and smiled when Gaige’s fingers slipped through his hair again. This time Alec didn’t let the touching stop him. He homed in on his target, wrapping his hand around the base of Gaige’s cock and pumping it up and down.

Flipping the cap on the lube proved harder with one hand, but Alec made it work. His hand slid under Gaige’s knee. He fanned his fingers against Gaige’s ass. As his mouth worked, Alec’s finger slipped inside Gaige, getting him ready.

His mouth moved in time with his fingers. Both drove Gaige until he groaned. His head rolled on the mattress and his ass clenched. A sexy tremble ran through him as he tightened his thighs against Alec’s hips.

Alec couldn’t last another second. He sat back on his knees. With one final wandering gaze over Gaige’s fit frame Alec opened the packet and rolled the condom on. He was rock hard and so ready. His hips started bucking the second he slipped the tip inside Gaige.

When the small internal muscles clenched around Alec’s cock, he dragged his hand down Gaige’s upraised thighs. Wrapped his fingers around his length. The touch had Gaige’s legs falling open. A fraction of relaxation and Alec sank fully inside. He plunged in deep and stilled, loving the grasp of Gaige’s body around his. Letting the pleasure drag him under.

“Jesus, Alec. Move.” Gaige reached for Alec’s hips and dragged them even closer. “Fuck me now.”

Alec wanted Gaige to beg. That strained sound in Gaige’s voice drove Alex right to the edge, made him want to tie Gaige down and take him. Just thinking about dominating Gaige, about being in control of his pleasure, started Alec moving. He pressed in and out. With each plunge his body ached to move faster.

Their bodies slapped together. Every time Alec pulled back, Gaige pushed forward. The rhythm sent a new wave of heat crashing over Alec. He could hear Gaige chant his name and feel his fingers close on his ass. Every sound and touch played in Alec’s head as his body took over.

In and out, faster with each beat. There was nothing soft or sweet about this mating. This was a crazed frenzy of need. Neither of them thought or planned. This was all about heat and satisfaction.

The orgasm started rolling through Alec. He could feel it build and beg for release. He held it back but his control wouldn’t last. He’d thought about this moment since the first second he saw Gaige. Watching him now with his jaw clenching as he started to come, Alec gave in.

He slid his fingers over Gaige as he pumped into him, all in a haze that called out for him to go faster and deeper. He was lost now. His hips moved and common sense abandoned him. Another thrust and he came. He pumped into Gaige, emptying and not trying to hold back. With the squeeze of his hand, Gaige came with him.

They both shifted on the mattress. The comforter bunched beneath them and the headboard knocked into the wall from the force of it all.

When he finished, Alec fell forward. His chest pressed hard against Gaige who let out a small oof. Then his hands wrapped around Alec’s shoulders. For the next few minutes neither of them said anything. Their heavy breaths filled the room, mixing with the smell of sex.

Time ticked by. Alec could see his alarm clock, the one he never set because he woke at the exact same time every day no matter what happened the night before. The green numbers blurred as his eyes started to close.

Alec knew he needed to get up. He didn’t sleep—literally sleep—with other men in this bed. He ran from the “after” talk and touching because sex didn’t mix with the rest. He didn’t make that mistake.

This position, with his head tucked under Gaige’s chin, could only be described as cuddling, and Alec did not cuddle. But he didn’t move. Not yet.

The problem was the longer he waited, the more Gaige’s warmth wrapped around him. The slight sheen of sweat from Gaige’s body mixed with his own. Alec could hear the frantic beat of Gaige’s heart and feel a satisfied rumble in his chest.

Yeah, now. This had to end right now.

Alec forced his muscles to move. He pushed up on the mattress and slipped out of Gaige. That was all he could manage, the only separation he could manage. Even now when he should be getting on with the rest of his night, he sat next to Gaige’s thigh and skimmed his fingers over Gaige’s flat stomach.

“That was impressive.” Gaige didn’t make a move to leave.

Over or not, Alec refused to lie about that point. “Very.”

A few more uncomfortable seconds ticked by before Gaige sat up. “Right.”

“What?”

“I’m going to take a shower then head up to bed.” Gaige shifted. Threw one then the other leg over the far side of the bed. “A promise is a promise.”

Alec had no idea what Gaige was talking about. He almost asked when he saw Gaige flinch and reach for his side. That reminder had Alec scrambling across the mattress. “Are you okay?”

Gaige shot Alec one of those heated smiles.

“Great, actually.” Gaige stood up then. His feet hit the ground and he hesitated, but not for long before bending over and grabbing his shirt off the floor.

There were a thousand things he should say, Alec knew that. He could apologize for forgetting about the injury and not taking it a bit slower. Could find the pills Gaige got at the clinic. Maybe call Gaige back to bed.

Alec didn’t do any of it. He sat in silence as Gaige took careful steps around the room, gathering his clothes and piling them in one arm. Once, he pressed his fingers to the bruise on his side, the one he’d earned playing hero, but Alec didn’t even comment on that.

“Good night.” Gaige turned out the lights as he went, leaving Alec in total darkness.